Bryan amendment seeks canyon air tour operators compromise

Wednesday, Oct. 6, 1999 | 11:36 a.m.

Congress adopted an amendment that would offer incentives for air tour operators to fly quieter planes over the Grand Canyon.

Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., said a "quiet technology" amendment offered by him and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., could result in a compromise between environmentalists that want to ban all scenic flights over Grand Canyon National Park and tour operators that want unlimited access to the canyon's air space.

The National Park Service is establishing noise standards that air tour operators say they can't meet.

The amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act would set a specific quiet technology standard for operators and establish new routes to be flown exclusively by planes equipped with quiet engines.

In addition, flights on quiet planes would not be counted in the FAA's new rule limiting the number of flights allowed by each air tour operator. The FAA plans to limit flights to the number each company flew in 1997.

"It is my hope that this amendment will help provide a better experience for everyone who visits the Grand Canyon on the ground while still providing hundreds of thousands of visitors each year the opportunity to view this majestic park from one of Southern Nevada's air tour operators," Bryan said.

Jim Petty, president of the U.S. Air Tour Council and a trustee of the Grand Canyon Air Tour Council, said the amendment helps all Grand Canyon visitors.

Petty, president of Air Vegas, a Henderson-based tour operator, said the amendment is not a fix-all for his industry, but it tells the Park Service there is significant concern about establishing noise standards that are not scientifically provable.